Missing Moments
by aneesha
Summary: a collection of 'missing moments' from the marauders time..lol, which is pretty easy, since they don't have any real moments...rr! its a little AU now, but i tried to fix it, and it has the beginnings of a plot! actually, not so much missing moments now,
1. Default Chapter

Hey guys! Ok, this is pretty much going to be a "missing moments" collection, from Harry's parents years at Hogwarts up until their death. I hope you enjoy!

Disclaimer: Well, if Harry Potter, and everyone and everything even remotely related to him belonged to ME, I really wouldn't be writing pathetic attempts at fan fiction, now would I? And if u really WANT to sue me for my whole 2 pennies, then feel free.

Part 1: The Very First Train Ride and the Sorting

Platform 9 ¾ was crowded, as usual. Filled with screeching owls, anxious parents, and of course the students. James Potter, and his best-friend-since-before-he-could-remember, Sirius Black grinned as they passed through the barrier from muggle London onto the platform, only too thrilled to be starting their first year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. So many pranks, so little time! They had been about escape into the throng of people when the ever unwanted "Just one minute boys," was heard. Groaning, Sirius and James turned around to see the somewhat foreboding figures of their mothers looming down at them.

" Now listen, Honey. DO try to be good, won't you? I don't want any letters from Hogwarts saying that you've blown something irreplaceable up, or that you've jinxed all the Slytherins, nasty though they may be, ok?" Angela Potter looked pleadingly at her son.

" Don't worry, mum," James looked at his mother innocently, completely omitting his promise to be good from his reply to her concerns.

"Same thing goes for you, Sirius. No, don't give me that look, I know perfectly well that you're behind half the disastrous things you and James get yourself into. I'm warning you now- watch yourself." Selena Black gave her son a you-better-listen-to-me-or-else look, one that she and her friend Angela had both had to master, thanks to young misters Potter and Black. 

" Mum, would _I_ do anything of the kind? It hurts me that you should accuse your only son, your flesh and blood, your pride and joy, your only reason for living-" 

"SIRIUS!"

"Not to worry, mum. And Mrs. Potter, I'll make sure Jamie here doesn't get into too much trouble either. He'll be safe with me!" Sirius flashed both women what he seemed to think was the perfect smile. His mother looked tiredly at him, while Mrs. Potter just laughed at his antics.

"Alright, Sirius, but be good. Write to your father and me when you get to Hogwarts. I love you sweetie." With that his mother kissed him, and when she looked up there were tears in her eyes. She just watched him, muttering, "my baby, already going off to Hogwarts…"

James had been getting much of the same treatment, to both boys' utter disgust, so with quick good byes, and last whispered directions to secret passages (courtesy of their fathers) they left their parents and boarded the gleaming Hogwarts Express. Sirius expressed his glee at their newfound freedom at once, by cursing Severus Snape, and old family enemy, with pink robes and fluffy bunny ears. Bolting, while shaking with laughter, the boys made their way into the first compartment they came to, locking the door behind them, because, as they had discovered from previous encounters, Snape had a rather-er- short temper, and he ESPECIALLY disliked the color pink. Unfortunately for them, one of the people who occupied the compartment they had barged into seemed to be very much the same, at least as far as the temper went.

As they turned around, they came face-to-face with a rather disgruntled girl, who apparently did not appreciate her "privacy being invaded" as she made extremely clear with just facial expressions.

"Excuse me, but who are you, and what exactly are you doing here?" she asked menacingly, as if she would have rather have hexed them. Apparently, they had walked into somewhat of a private conversation. Sirius gallantly introduced himself,

"Well, my lovely lady, I am Sirius Black, and this is-"

"James Potter," James supplied hurriedly, before Sirius introduced him as someone he would not want to be introduced as. Sirius had a tendency to do things like that. Before the red headed girl they had spoken to had a chance to say anything, one of the other occupants of the compartment spoke up quickly. 

"I'm Katelyn-Kate-Young and that's Amanda Johnson" she said pointing to a pretty, quiet blonde, "and that" she said, pointing to the read head, "is Lily Evans. Now that we're all introduced, you can leave…" Kate pushed her short black hair out of her face, but played with one of the curls, a sign that the boys would soon learn meant she was nervous about something. Lily still looked like she was ready to murder them both, and Amanda just surveyed them, seemingly calm. James and Sirius grinned identical grins.

"Now, where's the fun in that?!" James asked. "We want to get to know such beautiful girls. No, I think it would be a much better idea if we just stayed here, don't you Sirius?" But Sirius never had a chance to answer. Lily, it seemed, had had enough of this. With one almighty push, she shoved both boys out while screaming "OUT!" The compartment door, which had somehow opened, slammed shut, and they heard locking spells being put on it. Sirius looked put out. "Well," he said, "THAT wasn't very nice." 

Both boys grudgingly got up, and went in search of a new compartment. The train had begun to move, so they stepped into the first compartment that they could find that was not already full. The dweller of this compartment, thankfully, was much nicer than those of the last compartment they had entered. It was a boy, their age, it seemed, with hazel eyes, and sandy hair. He looked up at them, and gave them a small smile. "Hello," he said, "I'm Remus Lupin." James grinned, and said "James Potter, and this idiot is Sirius Black." Sirius grinned at Remus, and slapped James upside the head at the same time. Remus smiled timidly back, as though he was afraid that the boys wouldn't like him. Sirius, however, cleared that up in a minute, proclaiming, "Well, o-newly-found-friend, d'you wanna play some exploding snap?" Remus grinned, and in his eyes was a mischief not unlike that of the two boys facing him. 'Well,' he thought, 'maybe I will make some friend after all….'

* * *

Meanwhile, the girls were finishing up their own conversation. They had been drawn to each other- they had never spoken to each other before today, but already they were the best of friends, each wondering whether or not to tell the others of their huge secrets, secrets that they were still trying to come to terms with themselves. After all, they had only been told when their letters had come, and so it had come as quite a shock. Kate had just made up her mind to tell them- after all, if they were going to be her friends, they deserved to know, and she felt that she could trust them completely- when Sirius and James had barged in. Now that they had left, she seemed to have lost her thread, and the three just sat looking at each other. Kate mentally shook herself, and took a deep breath. "um, you guys? There's something I need to tell you…."

** ****

James, Sirius, and Remus got off the train, the excitement written all over their faces. James looked around, and he spotted three girls climbing into a little boat. He nudged Sirius and Remus, and said softly, "Hey, look, it's that girl- what's her name? Oh yea, Lily Evans. I dunno, Sirius, you think it's time for some payback?" Sirius grinned, "But of course James. My dad gave me the perfect spell, I've been itching to try it on someone, it'll be the perfect start of term prank!" Remus just looked at them, amused, and then delighted that they included him in on the prank, although he felt a little bad, the girl hadn't really done anything to him, after all. But he didn't want to lose his friends before he'd even really gotten to know them, and truly, it sounded like a lot of fun. So, he threw his hesitation away, and smiled what would become a trademark smile-mischief and kindness packaged into one- and began to help his new friends. 

They got into another boat, Sirius explaining the plan as they moved toward Hogwarts Castle. Once they got to the castle and were properly awed, they made their way into the school, led by a youngish teacher, and they found the perfect chance to cast the spell. It wouldn't work until Evans ate something, which was all the better, since it meant that it would go off in the Great Hall, in front of the rest of the school. Sirius muttered the spell, and then turned back to his friends, who were talking about Gryffindor, and how they wouldn't want to be in any other house, although Ravenclaw MIGHT be an okay alternative, if they absolutely couldn't get into their first choice. Sirius was about to add that he would feed himself to the giant squid they had seen on their way over to the castle when he felt a light tap on his shoulder, and someone say, "Excuse me." He turned around to see none other than Lily Evans, who looked rather ashamed. The three boys faced her, with James about to make s nasty comment, when she said, 

"I wanted to apologize for earlier, on the train. I'm afraid we were in the middle of something very important, and when you came in, I…well, I have a typical red-head temper. I was incredibly rude, and I am so very sorry. Although," she said with a tiny smile, "Kate would have been much worse had you stayed any longer, I think I rather did you a favor, but really, I am sorry." She looked at the three boys, suddenly realizing that she didn't know the third boy. Addressing herself to him, she said, "I'm Lily Evans, by the way." She looked at Sirius and James, half expectantly, half still ashamed. Sirius and James, of course, forgave her immediately, and told her so. She smiled at them, and went back to her group of friends. Remus watched her leave, and then turned to the boys. 

"Boy are you gonna have fun explaining our prank to her now." Both boys groaned, suddenly realizing Remus was right. Well, that was going to be a fun conversation….

******

The pale first years followed Professor McGonagall into the Great Hall, under the scrutiny of the rest of the school. Lily felt as though a hundred butterflies had made her stomach their new permanent resident, and it seemed that her friends, and the three boys she had met, were experiencing the same feelings. Remus looked pale, and James looked green, and Sirius was just talking about all sorts of nonsense that didn't make sense. Amanda, or Mandy, looked as if she was going to pass out any minute, and Kate was playing with her curl and had become very irritable. The three girls had become very close, and Lily had already shared her biggest secret, and from what the girls had told her, they had shared their secrets too, secrets that they really shouldn't have told anyone. She remembered their conversation, and the few minutes of silence that had followed- Lily was a powerful mage, or would be with some training, and some up-and-coming dark lord was out for her power. Mandy was a true Seer, something apparently extremely rare, and she too was wanted by the dark lord, because Seers were valuable assets to whomever they sided with. Kate, Dumbledore had written, was an animagi-by-birth, which was extremely rare. She had said that she had looked them up (she was a pure blood witch, and had access to such books and things) and it had said that she would have two forms, both magical, and with special powers. Her letter had said that the dark lord wanted her as well (surprise, surprise, the sarcastic part of Lily's mind commented) but Dumbledore couldn't tell her the exact reasons quite yet. 

Lily sighed, it was probably a very good thing that she had found such friends, people she could talk to about this, because she really didn't understand it all. She looked up at the headmaster, Albus Dumbledore, and was surprised as he gave her a knowing smile, and he glanced at her two best friends. She would almost say that he had MEANT for the three to meet, from that look…..Vaguely, she heard, "Black, Sirius!" be called out, and a loud "GRYFFINDOR!" be shouted by the Sorting Hat, something which amazed Lily. Soon it would be her turn….and sure enough, a few names later, "Evans, Lily!" was called. She slowly made her way up there, wondering what would happen if the hat couldn't place her, and marveling at the fact that she could walk straight and not collapse. She sat on the stool, and as Professor McGonagall placed the hat on her head, she heard a little voice in her ear. 

"hmmm," it said, "you're rather smart, aren't you? Ravenclaw perhaps? Yes, maybe…wait, no, maybe not, a little too bold for a Ravenclaw, lots of courage too…oh my goodness, yes, you and your friends are destined for greatness, although I fear…well, never mind…yes, yes, your future lies in GRYFFINDOR!" Relieved, Lily set the hat down on the stool and practically ran to the cheering table, sitting down across from Sirius. Greatness, hmm? She watched as Mandy, Remus, James and Kate were all sorted into Gryffindor as well, along with another boy- Peter Pettigrew, a friendly looking boy, and no other girls. 'Well,' Lily thought, 'maybe we'll get a dorm just for us, then.' As the sorting came to a close, with a good too many Slytherins, who all seemed rather mean and unpleasant, Professor Dumbledore stood up to speak. 

"Welcome, all of you, to another year at Hogwarts. First years, please note that the Forest is forbidden, and all students, I would like to call to your attention that a Whomping Willow has been added to our grounds," at this, Lily noticed Remus squirm, and wondered about it, "and I must ask you not to go too close to it, as the result could be rather painful. Now, enjoy our lovely feast!" and with that, the tables were filled with the most delectable looking food. 

As Lily took a bite of potato streudel, she wondered why on earth Sirius and James looked more sick and afraid now than they had before the sorting. That was, until, she had opened her mouth to ask and a loud squawking met her ears, and that of everyone else within hearing distance. Kate looked at her in shock, and then dove into her pocket and pulled out a mirror, and showed Lily her reflection, causing her to scream-squawk- very loudly. They had turned her into a chicken- a shimmery, lavender chicken with great big elephant ears, and as she looked, her neck was lengthening into a giraffe's neck. She opened her mouth again, but this time, fire came out, so she quickly shut it. She was growing patches of scales, and she had the long tail of a phoenix and a unicorn's horn. All in all, she looked absolutely ridiculous, and the entire great all was laughing. McGonagall quickly took the curse off, and as Lily regained her real form, the laughing only grew stronger. Lily smiled good-naturedly at everyone around her, and then looked at the two boys sitting in front of her, who looked hopefully at her-she was smiling, so maybe she wasn't mad? Their hopes were dashed, however, when her smile turned into a deadly glare, and she said, oh so quietly, "Consider yourselves dead." And thus was the beginning of one of the greatest rivalries Hogwarts had yet seen.

So, did you love it? Hate it? Review, pretty pretty please! Or I might hafta have Sirius come and curse you…..


	2. Umm, Remus?

Chapter 2: ummm, Remus?

James Potter plodded quietly down one of Hogwarts many halls, concealed by the very handy invisibility cloak his father had given him on his 11th birthday. He was returning from the Slytherin common rooms, where one Severus Snape had yet again become the receiving end of one of his pranks. James grinned to himself, just thinking about Snape's face when he took a look in the mirror…and then again when he discovered that he couldn't remove it for the next 48 hours. He and Sirius would never be able to thank Remus enough for finding that spell. James had always known that there had to be a good reason for reading…

Sirius was at yet another detention that night, and Remus was sick AGAIN, so James was all alone. Over the past few months, they had become friends with another boy, Peter Pettigrew, a fellow Gryffindor, but James knew all too well how clumsy little Peter was, and had figured that he was better off on his own. They could only really afford to have Peter around when Remus was there, planning a quick getaway.

Remus. That boy was one huge puzzle- he was James' best friend, next to Sirius, and still, he felt that he knew nothing about him- either that, or he was just hiding really, REALLY big. He was sick more often than James, Sirius, and Peter put together, and it happened almost on a monthly basis. James had been a little hurt that Remus hadn't felt that he could trust James, but then again, he decided, NO one really knew what was up with him. No one, that was, except Lily Evans. James shuddered just thinking about her- argh, she made him so mad! Little miss know it all, always walking around as if she owned the world. He honestly couldn't figure out WHY Remus was even friends with her…James knew that if he and Sirius hadn't pulled a stupid prank on her the first night at Hogwarts, he would probably be friends with her too…but really, how was HE to know that she was going to come apologize? He still wanted to know exactly what the girls had been talking about that was so important, but thinking about Evans gave him a headache, so he decided to think of nicer things….

He found his mind drifting back to Remus. If only he could figure out what was wrong with him…There was a nagging something at the back of his mind, something that told him that all he really needed to do was put the pieces together, and he'd be able to figure it out. Just yesterday, Remus had looked as ill as anything, and James and Sirius had been afraid he was going to keel over, or something. James just felt that having a friend or two- or three, he reminded himself, Peter's always there, and if anything, he's loyal ***a/n grr, yea right…***, everything would be better for Remus. He had reached the entrance of the common room, so he decided to go to sleep, and he resigned himself to go to the library the next day, and figure it out. 

** ** **

James and Sirius sat there, staring downcast at the list they had compiled. They had written everything they knew about Remus down, hoping to find a pattern or something, but all they had found was that they knew very, very little about their friend. James glared at the paper, willing it to show him something…and while he was challenging the paper to a staring contest, something seemed to have clicked in Sirius' head. 

"James, wasn't Remus sick right before the Halloween feast?"

"Yea," James answered slowly, "we had to spike the punch without him the day before…he got out of that detention with Filch too, lucky bugger."

"And on your birthday…I remember, he felt awful about it," Sirius said almost excitedly. He was staring at some chart that he had open, as he had been trying to do some homework at the same time. 

"And last night, James…oh my god, but not Remus, there's no way…"

James just stared stupidly at Sirius. "What are you on about now?"

"Look at the chart!"

James looked at the chart Sirius had out- a lunar chart for astronomy.

"All those days were on full moons," he said, the answer finally dawning on him. It all made sense, but still, REMUS??

"Remus is a-" he started, but Sirius finished for him, quietly, but the astonishment clear in his voice,

"A werewolf!" 

** ** **

James and Sirius sat anxiously on their beds, while Peter looked on curiously. They hadn't told him yet, even though he really was a part of their group. They wanted to be absolutely certain, before telling anyone, but they had no idea how to find out for sure. They couldn't just ASK him- that would be a fun conversation, "Hey Remus, have you turned into one of the most horrible creatures known to wizards lately?" Oh yea. That would go over GREAT. Finally, Sirius spoke up.

"Ya know, James, I bet Evans knows…He's almost closer to her than he is to us. And I bet she would have figured it out by now too, and he was more afraid of us shunning him than her. All we really have to do is ask her…" He looked about as happy to ask her as James felt. James was about to throw down the idea, but thought better of it. After all, they didn't really have any other choice. Sighing, he said, "You're right…what say we go ask her now, and get away from the fire breathing dragon as soon as possible?" And with that, the two boys walked out of their dorm, leaving a very confused Peter Pettigrew all alone.

"Hey Evans!" James said, as he got near her. Really, she wasn't as bad as he and Sirius made her out to be. In fact, most people actually thought she was very nice, and although she might not have been the most popular, or the sweetest girl to have ever graced Hogwarts, she was like well enough by her peers- except for James and Sirius. She had been talking and laughing at something Kate had said, but her expression turned to a cold one as she faced the two boys. 

"What do you want?" she asked, he voice cold as ice.

"We need to talk to you," Sirius said, and then seeing Kate and Mandy, pointedly added, "alone." Lily rolled her eyes, but followed James and Sirius into an alcove near the dorms.

"Now what is it?" she asked impatiently. "In case you didn't notice, I was kind of in the middle of something." She hadn't really been, but it ticked her off that James and Sirius felt that she was at their beck and call.

"We need to ask you about Remus." At that, her manner changed completely. Pity, suspicion, compassion, all reflected in her eyes, and she asked, but quietly, and in a very different tone, "What is it?" James, seeing as she wasn't being hostile, decided to be nice as well, and spoke calmly, as though talking to a friend. "We need to know- is he a-a werewolf?" Lily surveyed them, as if deciding what their reaction would be. Finally, she sighed, and although her answer was "I'm sorry, but you have to ask him. I don't know," her eyes confirmed their fears. She looked at them, and sighed again, knowing that she hadn't fooled them. She got up to go, but first leaned down and whispered, "It doesn't matter- he's still Remus, no matter what." And with that, she left them to figure out how exactly to tell Remus that they knew, and to come up with a plan to help him.

** ** ** 

Peter stared at his new friends, dumbstruck. Remus? There was no way, absolutely no way…but Sirius was right- it didn't matter, it was still Remus. He said quietly, "Whatever you guys do to help him, count me in." James smiled, proud that Peter had gotten over the bigotry wizards had towards werewolves, and relieved as well- he and Sirius hadn't been completely sure what Peter's reaction would be like. Now just how to tell Remus…Sirius contributed first. "I say we tell him tonight, when it's just us. And we might as well get it over with, because we all know that this isn't going to be a pretty conversation." 

"Yea," James agreed, "Tonight will be fine. And I think we should just wing it- rehearsed conversations always aound so corny."

So it was decided…

** ** **

Remus looked around at his friends uncomfortably. They looked so serious, not at ALL like how they usually looked. But they couldn't possibly have found out…James cleared his throat, and said,

"First off, Remus, we want you to know that this doesn't change anything, and you're still our best friend…"

"Yea," Sirius added, "we want to see if we can help you."

Remus had gone as white as a sheet.

"Wh-what are you guys talking about?"

There was silence for a moment, and it was Peter who broke it.

"Remus, we know you're a werewolf."

Crickets could be heard, while James, Sirius and Peter waited for Remus' reaction. Finally, he spoke, very quietly.

"You're- you're sure you don't mind? Because, it's all right if you do, you don't have to stay friends with me or anything…"

Immediately, there was an outburst of "NO!" and "of course we still want to be friends with you, you bloody moron!" and a sarcastic "Remus, we all hate you now, because we're shallow pricks like that." Remus looked around the room, and slowly, a smile began to form. "Thanks guys"

The next day, for one of the first times since the start of term feast, Lily looked over at James and Sirius as smiled- presumably, Remus had told her about what had happened, and she though more highly of them because of it. "We're gonna have to figure something out to help Remus," Sirius muttered. "It's not fair that he has to go through all of that by himself- and think about what an excellent opportunity it is to pull some pranks! I'm really quite jealous!" James laughed, and said "Don't worry, we go home in a few weeks- we'll figure something out this summer."

Hey guys! Come ON, r/r PLEASE!!!!!!! And then I'll, um, love you forever? :D


	3. Yes, We Have an idea!

Chapter 3: Yes, we have an idea!!!

Sirius was bored. He, James and Peter were sitting in his room, because it was too hot to be outside. Still, there was nothing to do INSIDE either, so, yea, they had slight problems. His mom had already said that she had permission from both Mrs. Potter and Mrs. Pettigrew to do something "terrible and awful beyond your imagination" if they should-er- blow anything up. Or torture the cat. Or do a million other fun things. Sirius sighed, thinking about what a spoilsport his mother was. Honestly! The only person who might have been able to think of something would have been Remus, but he was-um- indisposed right now. At that very minute, James voiced his thoughts.

"I wish Remus was here- he'd have thought of SOMETHING by now!" 

Peter nodded his head in agreement, just as bored as the other two. James gave a frustrated sigh as all three began thinking of Remus. If only there was something they could do to help…

"Boys!" Sirius' mother called up the stairs. "Come on down, it's time for lunch." The boys bounded down to the table, excited that something worth it was finally happening. But all through the delicious meal, James was thinking about what on Earth they could do to help Remus. It had become his new project, but he hadn't gotten very far- actually, he didn't even know much about werewolves. Remus had told all of them a little- his mind became wolfish, and he didn't really have control of his action. His senses were overly sensitive, and his reflexes were quick. Werewolves weren't a threat to other animals, only humans, but everyone knew that humans were in danger, and what happened to them if they came in contact with a werewolf at full moon. James slumped, knowing that they couldn't really do anything to help Remus during his transformations, as they couldn't be there. It was too bad, but it looked like the only way they'd be able to help their friend was to just be there for him to talk to. James wasn't used to there being problems that he, or someone he knew, couldn't solve, and it was a little upsetting. Suddenly, he realized that Sirius' sister, who was going into her fourth year was talking, and forced himself to at least TRY to listen to the bubbly girl. 

"…and it was really cool, mum! That's like the first time I've ever WANTED to pay attention in McGonagall's class! And she said that there were only like 6 or something, so I looked them up, and did you know that dad's cousin is an animagi? He can turn into a parrot!"

James gaped at her. She obviously thought that he was amazed, because she said, "yea, isn't it cool? I'll have to ask him next time he drops by…" But James had stopped paying attention. Animagi? Werewolves couldn't hurt animals…and James, Sirius, and Peter couldn't be with him because they were human…so what if they could turn INTO animals, whenever they wanted? It would be impossibly hard, especially since they would have to keep it a secret…but he, Sirius and Remus were smart, and Peter wasn't a COMPLETE idiot…and if they absolutely needed help, they could ask Evans, he supposed, and as much as he hated the thought, he knew she'd be a great help, and she wouldn't tell anyone- she was too close to Remus. But he was pretty sure that the process of becoming one was going to be very, very hard. He knew that animagi were closely watched by the ministry, because things could go seriously wrong…but it wasn't IMPOSSIBLE…and they would be very, very careful, they wouldn't hurry, they'd do everything they needed to extra carefully. It would be so cool….but he still had to talk to the others, and now as he thought about it, he KNEW they would need Evans' help, and that might take a little convincing too. 

James looked up from his plate, and, seeing that they were finished, he dragged Sirius and Peter up to Sirius' room, taking the steps 2 at a time. When they were upstairs, he locked the door, and turned to his two friends, who were looking at him as if he had gone absolutely and without a doubt mad. He said slowly, the excitement dripping from his voice,

"I know how to help Remus."

There was a brief silence, before Sirius burst out with,

"How, James?"

James looked both of them in the eye, before saying, simply,

"Animagi."

This time, the silence was a bit longer. Peter and Sirius were shocked at the idea, but after a few stunned moments, a gleam showed in both their eyes, a gleam that told James that operation animagi was definitely in action. He grinned, and said,

"We'll start tomorrow."

** ** **

"Absolutely not." Peter, Sirius and James stared at Remus, not quite sure that they had heard him correctly. They had just told him their plan, and while he looked like saying 'no' was the worst thing he had ever done, he looked adamant about it as well. 

"It's completely out of the question. I won't have my best friends die in the process of doing something so totally illegal that it's mind-blowing, all just to help me once a month- but thank you for even suggesting it. It means a lot to me." 

All three boys were shocked into silence…it hadn't even OCCURRED to them that Remus might say no. Still, James and Sirius were absolutely adamant about going through with their brilliant plan, and Peter too looked very disappointed that such an exciting prospect had been shot down so quickly. Sirius looked Remus in the eye, and said quietly, but with as much conviction as he had ever had, "Remus, we're going to do this whether or not you agree. If you won't help us, you'll just be putting us into that much more danger, because we would have a MUCH easier time if ALL of the top students of our year were helping us. And while we're doing this to help you, unless you agree with us, your opinion really doesn't matter." Sirius looked expectantly at Remus, while Peter and James watched both boys. Remus seemed to be fighting an internal battle, and with his next answer, it was apparent which side had won. Sighing, he shook his head remorsefully and said, "Well, alright then, I guess. I'll help, even though I really don't think it's worth all the risks." The expressions on the other three boys faces changed instantaneously from the rare solemn look that had darkened their faces to a bright excited one. "well," James said, "We'll start researching today." Just as they were about to leave, Remus grinned, "hey guys- you said ALL the top students. Now, while I assume you're ignoring the Slytherins, what about a certain Lily Evans who happens to be a fellow Gryffindor? Hmm?" And how he relished the new look on James' face. "Ugh, don't remind me- but maybe we SHOULD ask her first. Eh, lets go then…" And the four boys set off on one of their more important tasks, one that would end up coming in very handy for all four of them, at one point or another.


	4. Ah, love

Part 4: Ah, love...  
  
Sighing, Lily Evans rubbed tired eyes as she peered over old manuscripts, letters, books, everything, hoping to find it. It had to be here, she knew it.... "LILEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!" Jumping four feet into the air, she whirled to look out her window, only to be confronted by a very cocky Sirius Black, on his broomstick and laughing. Shaking her head and looking furious, she stalked over to open the window and let her friend in. Just as Sirius was about to climb in, she thought better of her graciousness and slammed the shutter in his face. Sputtering, Sirius could be heard cursing- "Bloody hell, Lily, I could have DIED!" Lily rolled her eyes, and pulled the window open again. Sirius gave her a pained look, and if Lily hadn't been so tired- and therefore grumpy- she would have never been able to keep her laughter down. Sirius had this very special gift of making people laugh, regardless of whether or not it was at his expense. Still, just seeing her friend brightened Lily's mood a little, even though she was still frustrated. Where on earth could it be? But she was forced to leave that train of thought again as Sirius was pushing her out of the way so he had room to fall spectacularly with an 'umpf!' onto her bedroom floor. Sometimes she wondered why she'd ever become friends with him....  
It hadn't even been very long. At the end of the previous year-fourth year- she and Sirius had come to a truce, and he had decided never to deprive her of her daily dose of 'Sirius' ever again. Well, at least her summer wouldn't be boring. He needed her help, after all, with their animagi project, to help Remus. Thinking of Remus, Lily sighed again.  
Remus, one of her best friends, next to the girls of course, although she could foresee herself and Sirius getting very close as well. Remus was by far the sweetest of the 'marauders' as he and his friends had come to call themselves, always kind, always helpful, and still, he had the worst fate of them all, destined to suffer the life of a werewolf, shunned by the wizard world. Oh, how it made Lily's blood boil! But he seemed to always try to make up for the monster he was once a month by...well...just being Remus. Lily smiled fondly as she thought of her friend, now HE was a gentleman! Nothing like that prick James Potter.  
James put her right back into her bad mood. Of all the nerve....Suddenly, she spun around to face Sirius, who was still babbling about how she had almost marred his perfection, or some nonsense like that. Sirius wasn't REALLY as self-centered as he sometimes came across to be...at least, she didn't think he was. Seeing her less than happy face, however, shut him up, as he looked meekly up at her from the floor. Almost growling, she asked suspiciously, "Where's Potter? You and that numbskull are never farther than 2 feet from one another."  
Seemingly relieved that that was all, Sirius grinned and informed Lily of James's yearly 2 week trip to France. She sighed, relieved that at least she wouldn't have to deal with HIM for a while. It suddenly occurred to her that she didn't know WHY Sirius was here, since he knew that she didn't have any books on animagi. When she asked, he simply shrugged. "I dunno...I was just bored, and I decided to visit my lovely Lily...D'you have any food around here?"  
Lily laughed a little and led him to the kitchen, her previous project forgotten for the time being. There would be plenty of time, after all, to figure it out later, and she should probably talk to Mandy and Kate anyway.  
  
* * * *  
  
Lily laughed as she swatted Sirius away, and then shrieked as someone lifted her from behind. Turning, she found Remus standing there, mischief gleaming in his eyes, and she laughed some more. She had seen Sirius a lot over the summer holidays, so she hadn't had time to miss the rest of her friends. Now, though, it flooded back to her how much she longed for everyone. But, no worries now, for she was on Platform 9 ¾, ready to start fifth year. As she asked Remus about his summer, and listened as he told her about the wizards of Ancient Egypt, she spotted someone who looked familiar- ew, Potter. How nice of him to ruin her day already. She knew, logically, he hadn't really done anything yet. But he would, no question there, so she decided she was perfectly within bounds to give him her signature glare that she reserved for him and Lucius Malfoy, a Slytherin a year ahead of them.  
Sure enough, James spotted his friends- and the red head- and sauntered over, even cockier than he had been before. Lily grew even angrier, not really knowing why- How did he have a reason to already look like he owned the world? Well, she was sure he'd be ready to inform them as soon as they were within earshot. Lily had to save her scathing remarks, however, because all James said to her was a polite hello, and then he proceeded to ignore her. Huffing, Lily stalked off to find her other friends, certain they'd be better company. "Lily Evans, WHERE do you think you're going?!" Grinning, Lily whirled around to hug Kate Young tightly. They immediately started to chatter nonstop about everything, as if they hadn't just seen each other a week ago in Diagon Alley and done the exact same thing. Presently, Lily asked, "Have you seen Mandy yet?" "Last I saw her, she was rambling about finding her owl or something...or maybe it was a pen...."  
Lily shook her head, smiling, She should have known better than to ask Kate, but she was so happy to be back with her friends. Just then, she saw Mandy looking around for someone...and then saw her running at a breakneck speed towards her. The two girls hugged, and shrieked, and jabbered, and the three of them found a compartment on the train, waiting to discuss what they had all been researching.  
They didn't get a chance to begin, even, however. Just as Lily was pulling something out of her bag, the Marauders barged in, causing her to quickly stuff the paper back in. Remus smiled sheepishly, and said, "Hey, everywhere else is full...can we sit here?"  
The girls sighed, and nodded- it might be hard to say no without a legit excuse, and as the masters of the art, the boys spotted lies very easily. So as they settled down amongst the girls, mini conversations began to break out. Lily turned to Sirius, about to ask him something, when she noticed him staring at something- but why were Kate and Remus so interesting? Suddenly, Lily saw Kate in a very different light- she had changed over the summer. While not skinny, she was petite and slim, and had gotten more-er- curvaceous over the summer. She was by far the beauty of the group, probably of the enter 5th year, and she was smart and funny to top it off, although her temper was usually even worse than Lily's own red headed temper. And Sirius was staring at her...Lily grinned almost maliciously, and whispered into Sirius's ear, "You know Sirius, if she looks over here right now, you're going to have fun explaining why you were looking at her like she was a piece of cake or something."  
Sirius tore his eyes away from Lily's beautiful friend who was trying to beat Remus up at the moment, and looked at Lily with a half guilt, half nervous look. "Er, Lily my sweet, what would you mean by that?"  
Lily's grin widened, and she dragged Sirius out of the compartment, which no one noticed because they were watching Kate and Remus. Making Sirius face her, Lily asked, "So Sirius, how long have you liked her? And I DARE you to say something perverted."  
Something in Lily's protectively suspicious face told him that he shouldn't dare, and so, flushed, he told her about his little crush...which had last about 3 years. Lily clapped her hands together happily, what fun, matchmaking! Sirius caught a hold of her though, and, for once in his life, was truly serious about what he was saying. "Lily, you CANNOT tell her...we've just gotten to be good friends, and I don't want to ruin that...please?" Sighing, Lily agreed, even though she told herself she WOULD pry into Kate's love life that night, see if there wasn't anything she could do...Just then a very disheveled Kate, who had, apparently from Remus's scowl, won their fight, came out, looking for Sirius and Lily. Lily pushed Sirius into Kate, and said she was going to go find the snack cart...maybe Sirius could get farther on his own.  
* *  
* *  
  
That night, Lily, Mandy and Kate lay in their dorm, not really talking about anything, but everything at the same time. Lily, however, remembered her conversation with Sirius and neatly steered the conversation in that direction- boys. Immediately, Kate was off, rattling about this 7th year and that 5th year, and Mandy got her two cents in as well. Lily sighed- she had no time for boys, what with- well, everything that was going on. Still, a boyfriend might be nice...but there wasn't anyone who she really saw her self with. She just simply wouldn't admit that every time she thought 'boyfriend', James Potter was also in her mind.  
  
A/N: wow, I'm really sorry about this chapter... I started out with a point, really I did...and then it just kind of went...and while all of this was supposed to work in somewhere, I didn't really want to devote a chapter to nothing....but it will be important later...r/r, por favor! 


	5. slightly more complicated

a/n: hmm, so I started this whole thing a looooooong time ago...and just in case people are actually reading it, I thought I should tell you- I think this is going to be more of an actual story from now on than just missing moments...I'm not sure WHY, exactly, but I think it is...oh well, happy reading! And, obviously, this has turned kinda AU because changing Sirius's family is much too difficult, although I DID try...  
  
Chapter 5- moving along  
  
James was fuming...just because stupid Evans had been made a prefect last year, she seemed determined to make his 6th year at Hogwarts a living hell. Okay, so MAYBE turning all the Slytherins into rodents and then setting the owls loose MIGHT have been a little drastic, but honestly, what was he supposed to do when that disgusting Severus Snape had come across his path AGAIN? She really didn't need to be such a stick in the mud about everything. The fact that his best friends, and fellow pranksters extraordinaire got along amazingly well with her and didn't share this view of her in the slightest didn't deter James from his nightly hour of Lily- bashing. Never mind that her astonishingly green eyes were beginning to captivate him, and the way she tossed her hair over her shoulder when she laughed could hold his attention for hours on end...no matter what Sirius said, James was most definitely NOT falling for Lily Evans.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Mandy sighed, and rubbed her temples tiredly. Out of all seven of the 6th year Gryffindors, Mandy had been forced to mature the most quickly- her 'gift' and Voldemort had assured that. While both Lily and Kate were also bearers of their own unusual talents, Mandy's was the only one that had proven to be a force to reckon with, as of yet, although Lily was well on her way. And Voldemort, seeing this, had chosen to focus his attentions on Mandy for the moment, and had been persistently trying to persuade her to join his side- his latest attempt had consisted of killing her parents and little sister, and then promising to bring them back should Mandy choose to forsake the light. It was a good thing that she and her parents had a mutual hate flowing between them, although her sister's death WAS regrettable. No, what was bothering her the most was that she was sure that Voldemort was on his way to discovering that it wasn't her family, but her friends that she valued and cared about. If he should come after them, Mandy wasn't quite sure WHAT she would do.  
  
Her visions weren't exactly reassuring either. Every night, she saw horrible things, not all of which she understood- Sirius, his handsome features replaced by haunted eyes, and limp hair, his skin sallow and sunken. Remus, grieving and alone, chased by inner demons so vile they took toll on every aspect of him. Lily and James- for oddly, they never appeared separately in her visions, something she'd have to ponder at a less stressful time,- being shot down in their prime by the unmistakable green light of the Killing Curse. Little Peter, frightened and alone, threatened by a monster who Mandy could only believe to be Voldemort- how would sweet Peter defend himself against that?  
  
And then there was Kate, who would writhe in her mind every night, as Voldemort himself administered the Cruciatus over and over again- Mandy would normally wake up as Voldemort prepared to do something more, but never saw it. Kate was beginning to be something of a sore topic with Mandy- a rift was starting to form between the two supposed best friends, and although Mandy knew that they were equally at fault, she couldn't help but blame Kate, who seemed to take nothing seriously, even in these dark times. She knew that Kate's incessant flirting and almost superficial nature was simply a façade, hiding her own troubles and dangers- hell, everyone from the first years upwards knew that- but what exactly was so horrible that she had to pretend to be someone she wasn't completely escaped Mandy. After all, she was only a naturally born animagus, it wasn't like she saw people suffer each night, with little she could do about it.  
  
Mandy had talked to Dumbledore about all of her visions, and the fears that accompanied them, but while he seemed concerned about her well being, little else seemed to bother him. He assured her that this type of thing was normal, even for seers, and that it was most probably simply a side effect of her worry for her friends. Somehow, she didn't think so. A voice interrupted her gloomy thoughts.  
  
"Hey- you weren't at dinner, so I brought you something- are you all right?"  
  
Smiling, Mandy looked up to greet James Potter, her friend since they were very little. She accepted the sandwich and pumpkin juice he offered her, and gestured for him to sit down.  
  
"No, I'm fine, just thinking...I wasn't really hungry earlier, but I'm starved now, I was just heading to the kitchens."  
  
In all honesty, she didn't understand the hatred that marked the relationship between James Potter and Lily Evans. She knew them both intimately well, and they were probably better suited for each other than anyone else she had ever met- although Kate and Sirius came very, very close. If only they could get over how much they despised one another...   
  
The two friends chatted about little things on their way to the kitchens, as Mandy's hunger hadn't been abated by the sandwich. Suddenly, James turned to Mandy, and asked urgently,  
  
"Mandy, this is going to sound so strange, but...you don't LIKE me do you?"  
  
Mandy was taken aback, and stuttered, "Of course, I like you! We've been friends for what, like 12 years?"  
  
James shook his head, and said "No, I mean like more than a friend."  
  
"No, of course not," Mandy replied, as she giggled at the look of immense relief that washed over James' face. Still amused, she asked, "Well, mister Potter, why exactly would it be such a horrible thing if I were to like you? Tell me, am I really that ugly and unwantable?"  
  
Mandy broke out into peals of laughter as James' face returned to its previous look of utmost horror. "NO! that's not it at all, I just meant- hey! You're not supposed to do that to me!" He exclaimed as he realized she was just kidding.  
  
They walked a little farther in silence until James broke it as he began to rant about Lily. Mandy rolled her eyes, but noticed almost immediately that his voice didn't hold as much contempt as it usually held- in fact, it sounded more as if this was his half-hearted attempt to preserve that hatred, and that he realized he was failing miserably. Delighted with this turn of events, Mandy cut of his joke of a tirade, and linking arms with him, said, "Oh, James, DO lets talk about our darling Lily..."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A disgruntled Kate trudged her way up to the Gryffindor common room, completely miffed with the entire Slytherin house in general, but specifically Bellatrix Black, Sirius's notoriously insane younger-by-a-year cousin. What disgruntled her even more was that, despite her many attempts to ignore said madwoman, she had failed, and not in her preferred way- she hadn't hexed darling Bellatrix into the next millennium- no, she was walking along with TEARS in her eyes, to her absolute disgust. Kate hated weakness, if only in herself. Anyone else- well, almost anyone- was completely free to cry, and Kate would be there with tissues, ice cream, and a plan for revenge, if needed, but in herself, tears were something she could not handle. So, disgruntled, disgusted, and utterly angry, Kate arrived in front of the Fat Lady, only to find that someone had changed the password. She emitted one all powerful shriek, causing the Fat Lady to almost jump out of the frame, and stalked off.  
  
This was not her day.  
  
As she was wandering off to nowhere, she tried not to think about her argument with Black, who she was sure was a death eater. Death Eaters, however, brought her thoughts to Voldemort, another topic that put her in a bad mood. Well, most people, she reasoned, would be put in a bad mood when thinking of a man who was out for your friends' blood, never mind your own. And the thought of ANY of them in the clutches of someone madder than Sirius's cousin made Kate's stomach churn. And of course, THAT brought her thoughts to Bellatrix AND Voldemort, which was enough to make her not only cry, but ready to hex the next person who approached her.  
  
Unfortunately, the next two people who approached her found her in this very mood, and this ultimately resulted in Remus laughing hysterically at the tentacles growing out of Sirius's face.  
  
Laughing a little for the first time that night, Kate removed the curse from a glaring Sirius Black, which was indeed a comical sight, and just set both Kate and Remus off again. Finally, Sirius cracked, and an expression of mirth passed over his face, as all three friends grinned at each other. Still chuckling a little, Remus asked,  
  
"What on earth had you so riled up that you were ready to avada kedavra the next person you saw? Wait- Kate, were you CRYING? What's wrong?" Remus's expression immediately changed from amused to concerned, and Sirius moved closer, worry evident as he observed the tears that Kate had neglected to wipe away as of yet. Everyone knew Kate didn't cry just as well as they knew that her image was fake. Right now, however, Kate looked a little apprehensive.  
  
If there was one person on the fact of the earth who hated Bellatrix Black more than Kate, she knew it was Sirius. For him, Bellatrix was a constant reminder of the evil that existed in his family, the evil that he had always known was his heritage, but one that had only really manifested itself when his parents had passed away, victims of a bombing in Diagon Alley. They had been his shield from his horrible family, one that he had gotten to know too well in the one year between his parents deaths and his move into James's house. His terrible, dark arts obsessed aunt, uncle, cousin Regulus and house elf Kreacher had driven the stake of hate so far into him, he practically spat blood each time he came across almost anyone who was related to him. His aunt had insisted on adopting him legally as her son, and trying to instill Black pride in her 'son' with Bellatrix as the model child. This brought Kate to look at Sirius with apprehension as she contemplated what to tell him and Remus.  
  
Sirius, however, saw the look, and anger smoldered in his eyes as he asked, with deceiving calmness, "What did my dear cousin do now?"  
  
Kate flushed, and looked down for a moment, before she met Sirius's gaze defiantly. She looked in his eyes and saw concern, and at that look she almost told him- still, she caught herself quickly, and said,  
  
"I can take care of myself Sirius, and words can only hurt me so much."  
  
Sirius gaped at her- her knew whatever it was, it must have struck a chord with Kate, and he also knew that it would have been even nastier than usual because Bellatrix saw Kate as her rival in everything- except that she also knew that Kate was BETTER at everything. Still, Sirius knew better than to pursue it- Kate could do much worse than simply make him resemble the giant squid. Lightly, he changed the subject, and hoped that Kate would tell Lily and Mandy, and he could worm it out of Lily.  
  
"Well, what say we go reorganize McGonagall's classroom?"  
  
Laughing, Kate, Remus and Sirius ran off to wreak havoc on poor, unsuspecting souls...

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Lily smiled at the sight that lay before her- her painting was complete. Although Lily wasn't exactly Van Gogh, she enjoyed painting, drawing, anything artistic because it relaxed her. She brushed he hair out of her face, being careful not to get any paint in it. She had just finished her best piece yet- Hogwarts during a full moon night- lots of stars, the amazing castle, and four animals in the distance- a wolf and dog running free as a stag with a rat perched on its antlers watched with amusement. Seeing that particular part, Lily beamed as she thought of her greatest accomplishment- for she was positive that without her watching over them, and helping the four every step of the way, they surely would have gotten themselves killed, or turned themselves into some sort of half animal. Her expression darkened, however, when she remembered the night of the actual transformation.  
  
She had insisted that she be a part of the whole thing, from beginning to end- and this included becoming an animagus herself. When she had actually taken the potion, however, she had felt her blood burning, and her eyes rolling back into her head, and she thought her skin was being peeled off- she had never felt that kind of pain in her life. She had awoken in James Potter's arms, with him looking at her wearing an expression she had never seen before- in fact, if they didn't hate each other, she would insist that it had been something akin to love- or at least very strong like. She had passed out then, and when she woke up, she wasn't sure whether the expression had been her imagination or not. The bottom line, however, was that she couldn't do the transformation. Later, as she had researched the matter, obsessed with knowing why Potter could do it and she couldn't, she had found that mages very rarely could become animagi, and when they could, they often couldn't turn into a human or animal at will. She comforted herself with that thought. It wasn't her lack of abilities, so Potter WASN'T better than her. Ha.  
  
Her mage abilities were strengthening, and as a result, the danger from Voldemort was increasing too. Sighing, she couldn't help but be grateful that she wasn't Mandy, who was clearly a target, and almost envious of Kate, who, it seemed, wasn't in danger of BEING a danger to anyone. She knew Mandy, as a result of the stress than went along with being one of the top targets of the most evil wizard of the modern era, was rather vexed with Kate's flippant air about almost everything. Lily, on the other hand, felt that Kate was relieving the tension, and didn't wonder that maybe Kat did it simply for that reason. The trio would certainly be a boring bunch of paranoid freaks without her smile and wit.  
  
Lily was forever the understanding one, perhaps the reason she was the most popular of the three girls. She was respected even among the Slytherins, an admirable feat considering she was a muggleborn, and well liked by almost everyone else. Mandy kept to herself a good deal, only really socializing with the other 6th year Gryffindors, and Kate was either loved to the point of worship or hated beyond all else- there was no in between. Lily liked her position in her group, the unacknowledged leader of the three, and the best one to talk to under any circumstance. She had a knack for being able to see all sides of a situation, and it came in handy considering how many misunderstandings her friends got involved in, and how itching they were to curse any offenders, especially Kate and Sirius.  
  
Thinking of those two, she grinned a little, although she was exasperated at the thought that Sirius was still dating left and right, and Kate still made sure all the guys were lined up and at her beck and call, although she didn't date as much- probably the only reason she wasn't exactly loved by everyone in Hogwarts. Both of them liked the other, Lily simply didn't understand why they didn't just go out with each other- or at least ADMIT they had feelings for one another. Lily had only gotten both of them to admit it once to her, and then they had each proceeded to make her swear that she wouldn't tell a soul. So there she was, the only one who knew. Oh well, they'd figure it out eventually.  
  
Lily's thoughts turned to the bane of her existence- James Potter. She cringed just thinking of that conceited, pig-headed JERK- for that was what he was in her mind. He HAD improved since last year, but she could still just barely stand him- although she had caught herself thinking his unkempt hair, which at one point had been cause for more annoyance than Snape, was actually somewhat cute, and that his eyes WEREN'T windows into the devil's. She shook her head- she WOULD not think of Potter that way- she shuddered. James Potter, a boyfriend?! EURGH!  
  
It only occurred to her before the fell asleep that that was the first time she had ever thought of James Potter as boyfriend material.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Lily was almost asleep in front of her muffin when Sirius's characteristic "LILEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!" startled her out of the realms of sleep. Irritated, she looked at him, her perfected glare very much present.  
  
"WHAT exactly do u want, Sirius?"  
  
"Why, my darling Lily, only to have your company as I eat my breakfast. You do brighten things up and make the world a more beautiful place."  
  
All three girls snorted at this- Sirius's flattery was almost legendary, and as far as Hogwarts knew, there were only 5 girls unsusceptible to it- 3 of them were sitting in front of Sirius, while the other two, Bellatrix and Narcissa Black, sat prim and proper at the Slytherin table.  
  
"Sirius, DO be a doll and go stuff yourself," Lily muttered, ready to fall back asleep. Faintly, she heard Kate get up, something about a hippogriff? Lily honestly didn't care at the moment. She had almost reached the point in sleep where talking wouldn't wake you up when the maniacal, and unfortunately familiar, tones of Lucius Malfoy, current boyfriend of Bellatrix Black, disturbed the Gryffindor table. Blearily, Lily opened one eye, only to find that Malfoy actually wanted to speak with her, not exchange the customary, week-before-a-match insults with James. As she looked at his smug expression, she wanted nothing more than to break his nose and sleep again.  
  
"Evans- I thought I should tell you to look out for your friend- she's in about 3 times the amount of danger you all think she's in."  
  
And with that remark he left. At first, Lily was simply stunned that in the entire conversation, the word 'mudblood' hadn't been uttered once. Then what he said struck her, and she leaped up, finally noting that neither Mandy nor Kate was at breakfast anymore. She sprinted out of the Great Hall, leaving 4 very confused boys to stare after her, and debate whether to follow or not. Sirius had decided it was much too early to go running after raging, hormonal girls, as he had taken to calling any female who seemed anything less than in awe of him, when Remus got up, saying,  
  
"We'd better go see what we can do. When Malfoy's involved, you never know."  
  
A little upset, Sirius abandoned his toast and reluctantly followed, although the promise of turning Malfoy into something Mrs. Norris would find delicious did make him slightly more cheerful.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Lily sprinted, suddenly very, VERY afraid for her friends, although she did wish that Malfoy had told her which of her friends she should be ready to fight tooth and nail defending. She heard Remus and Sirius behind her, and contemplated slowing down to tell them what was up, because they'd be able to cover more ground that way, but instead just turned her head and yelled, "look for Kate and Mandy! Malfoy said-" SMACK. "oof!"

Lily let out as she and Kate both toppled over from running into one another, and Mandy approached from the side, shaking her head and laughing lightly. Kate gave Lily a sour look and grumbled, "what the hell Lily? We're right here, and now I have to go BACK to Gryffindor tower to fix my hair!"

Mandy rolled her eyes and said testily, "Kate, you look fine, and you don't have TIME to go to Gryffindor tower, we're going to be late for ancient runes!"

"Its just ancient runes, it'll be fine…besides, you know Professor Kirk adores me, what's the worst he'll do, give me a detention?"

Professor Kirk was their very young Ancient Runes teacher, and Lily had to admit, he WAS very fond of Kate, and he probably wouldn't even give her a detention unless he was in a bad mood. This, however, didn't abate Mandy, whose eyes, Lily had just noticed, were blood shot, a sure sign that she had had another horrible dream, and she probably shouldn't be messed with that morning. Mandy looked at Kate with annoyance, saying, "Great, just use that as an excuse, because oh my, what could possibly be more important than your hair? Not something that could potentially save someone's life- but why would that be important to you? You're the absolute center of the universe, aren't you?"

Lily gaped at Mandy- she understood that Mandy was stressed, but this was a little over the top. She opened her mouth to say something, but was cut of by Kate.

"What?" Kate was honestly confused, Lily could tell, and she didn't really blame her- while Kate WAS a little more concerned about her appearance than she should have been, both Mandy and Lily knew, better than anyone, that she wasn't really self centered, and she had a somewhat low self esteem, if it came down to it. And most importantly, Kate, while perhaps not best friends with everyone, was very selfless when it came to anyone she didn't utterly detest. So really, Lily could understand her confusion, and saw the same confusion on Remus and Sirius' faces. Once again she tried to interrupt the fight she knew was about to break out, but Mandy wasn't finished.

" Honestly Kate, when are you going to grow up? You're sixteen! Its time you started acting more responsibly! I know that maybe you don't have the same pressures that some of us have, but that doesn't mean-"

"Shut up."

Mandy stopped, startled- it was probably the first time she had ever heard that tone directed at anyone other than Bellatrix Black, Lily realized. Mandy stared at Kate, whose eyes had narrowed and was now regarding Mandy with a cold expression, laced with undeniable traces of hurt.

"Is that what you think, that I don't have the same 'pressures' as you? You think my life is just a lovely bed of flowers? Of course, what would I have to worry about, I'm just the dumb one, nothing special, why would anyone want anything with me- that's what you think, isn't it?"

"I never said-"

"Well let me tell you something, Amanda- just because I don't walk around as if I'm bearing the weight of the world on my shoulders doesn't mean that I have nothing to worry about- I'm just taking advantage of life while I have it, which you and I both know may not be for very long! I-"

"Okay, we're taking this somewhere else now," Lily interrupted, extremely aware of Sirius and Remus' baffled expressions, and slightly miffed at Kate for not being more careful. She knew that Kate was angry, and perhaps rightfully so, although Mandy had a point too- Kate really didn't have to deal with what Mandy, and Lily herself to a certain degree, had to deal with. Kate needed to be more careful when discussing their secrets! Lily glanced at her watch, and quickly said,

"Actually, right now we're going to class, because it starts in a couple minutes. We'll finish this later." Kate stared at her for a second, and then said,

"I'll be there in a couple minutes, I'm going to Gryffindor tower."

Exasperated, Mandy turned away, saying, "FINE! Come on Lily, at least WE know what's important-"

"Actually," Kate broke in scathingly, "I'd say that neither of you have your priorities straight, seeing as you both just placed a stupid Ancient Runes class before our friendship- an ancient runes class that for the past week you both have been reminding me has been cancelled because Professor Kirk is in London." And with that, she stalked off. Lily and Mandy were both stunned- she was right, it HAD been cancelled, and they'd both been telling her over and over again, almost positive she'd be the one to forget. Lily felt a wave of guilt wash over her- she HAD just put ancient runes before their friendship- and heard Mandy mutter next to her, "she didn't remember that until just now either…" Lily grabbed Mandy, said a quick "See you later" to the boys, and dashed off in the direction Kate had taken off in, Leaving Remus and Sirius staring at each other. Without a word, the boys followed the girls.

Lily and Mandy caught up to Kate, and dragged her into the first empty classroom they found. Kate glared at them, saying, "I was on my way to DO something."

Mandy, who felt bad about what she had said to Kate, or at least the manner in which she had said it, felt her disturbed sleep, tiredness, and overall irritability rise up, and before she could stop herself, found herself shouting,

"KATE! Stop it! Stop acting like we're the bad guys in this situation! Lily hasn't even done anything! This is NOT our fault! You have NO idea what I go through every night, and you are not helping! If you're so extremely supportive of everyone all time, as you always claim, why aren't you being supportive of me!"

"I have no idea? I HAVE NO IDEA! What on EARTH do you know about what I know and don't know! Ever since you've been getting these 'dreams', which by the way you don't TELL us about so how are we supposed to be supportive, you've been acting like the fate of the world is up to you! GET OVER YOURSELF. YOU have no idea what I go through all the time!"

Lily and Mandy both looked at her a little skeptically, and Lily knew that Mandy was in no control of what she said, so she cut in quickly, meaning to say what Mandy wanted to say, just in a far more acceptable manner.

"Um, Kate? We know that we ALL have stresses in our lives that no one else has, but we both know that right now Mandy's is the most pressing. Voldemort wants her more than he wants you OR me right now, and, well, even if she doesn't tell us about her dreams, we know they're terrible, and we need to be supportive."

Kate stared at Lily, and then whispered, "You don't think that my powers put me in very much danger." It was a statement, and Lily squirmed, suddenly very uncomfortable with the situation. She said, "Well, its just that…I mean, a naturally born animagus is amazing Kate, its fabulous…but what would Voldemort want with that? I mean, other than the fact that he wants to take over everything…its just…it doesn't seem like it would be at the top of his list."

Slience. Kate looked at them for about ten excruciatingly long seconds, took a deep breath as if to calm herself, and turned around and walked out of the classroom. Lily and Mandy remained in silence for a few seconds, until Mandy said, quietly, "well, none of what you or I said was WRONG…you know Kate, her temper is horrible, but she gets over things quickly. She'll be fine in an hour or so." Lily continued to look worried as she stared out the door. She wasn't so sure.

Lily and Mandy stayed away from Gryffindor tower for the rest of the day, to give Kate time to cool off. When they finally returned, there was no sign of her, and James yelled, "Evans! Mandy! Have you seen Kate? I've been looking for her ALL DAY, I need to ask her something!" Lily felt a pang of something like jealousy, but why would she be jealous? That couldn't be it…giving herself a small shake, she said, "No Potter, we haven't seen her for a while." She and Mandy went up to their dormitories, hoping that Kate had already gone to sleep. When they reached their room, They saw the curtains drawn around her bed. Assuming she had gone to sleep, they both dressed for bed quietly, and did the same.

Sirius sat on the couch in the common room, just staring at the fire. He was really sleepy, but he just couldn't fall asleep…A head of black curls and gorgeous brown eyes, and extremely well endowed body kept flitting across his mind…he heard the portrait open, and turned around, ready to scare whatever unsuspecting first or second year had been out late, but saw no first or second year. He would know that silhouette anywhere, and called out, "Kate?" she turned, startled, and Sirius walked over to her. When he was a few feet away, he noticed that she looked different. Concerned, he asked, "Are you all right?" He had never seen Kate look anything less than spectacular, even when anyone else would look awful. Now, she looked- well, frankly, terrible, although Sirius knew she could never look truly ugly. She looked as if she's been crying for hours, and she had a cloak wrapped around herself tightly, although the castle was quite warm. She wasn't walking with her usual grace either, but rather stooped over, and she looked ready to collapse. Sirius draped an arm around her and led her to the sofa, even while she protested- he could tell she was too weak to really protest. He sat her down on the couch he'd been sitting on moments before, and repeated his question, "Are you all right?"

Kate opened her mouth, about to say that she was just tired, when tears started streaming down her face, much to her horror. Sirius looked at her, appalled, and then said quietly, but with as much sincerity and forcefulness as he had ever used, "Kate, this is the second time in a very short amount of time that I've seen you cry. All of Gryffindor- hell, the whole school- knows that you don't cry. Its just not something you do. Tell me what's wrong." Kate however, couldn't do anything except let the tears flow down her face, which soon turned into heartwrenching sobs. Sirius hesitated, and then engulfed her in a hug, which she allowed herself to melt into. Sirius whispered soothing words, and all he could understand her to say was, "they don't know…they can't know…" Sirius was beginning to get alarmed, because he understood that this must be very serious- she hadn't even cried in front of him when her father had been killed by Voldemort earlier that year. Gently, he asked, "what don't they know? Who?" Kate however, just shook her head and continued to cry, until she was apparently so exhausted that she fell asleep. Sirius sat there for a moment, and then picked her up, grunting under the dead weight, and carried her up to her dorm, first whispering the charm that allowed him to go up the sliding stairs, an accomplishment the boys and crowed about for ages when they discovered it. He gently set her down in her bed, and kissed her forehead, blushing as he did so.

When Lily woke the next morning, Kate's bed was neatly made, and there was no sign of her. She sighed, wishing that yesterday hadn't happened, but knew that it needed to. Things would work themselves out. Groaning slightly, she made her way to the bathroom to get ready for the day.

When Mandy and Lily reached the dining hall, there was once again no sign of Kate. Mandy stubbornly refused to admit that this worried her, although she was terrified, as her dream the past night had been about Kate, and in vivid, gruesome detail. That dream, at least, she felt was more than just concern manifesting itself in a dream, and she desperately wanted to warn Kate, tell her to be careful- but how could she, when yesterday she had pretty much told her that she wasn't important enough to be a target of Voldemort? Mandy sighed- well, Kate wasn't at breakfast so she couldn't tell her now anyway…she'd worry about it when the time came.

Sirius looked at both girls oddly- he had expected them to either be wherever Kate was, or in a far more concerned mood, after what he's seen last night. He slid into a seat next to Lily, and said, "So?" Lily looked at him blankly. He continued, "Kate…? What's up with her? Is she okay?"

Lily was supremely confused, and asked, "What are you talking about?" Sirius just looked at her strangely, and said, "Well, I just assumed that something was wrong….I mean, its KATE, when she cries, it must mean the end of the world or something…right?" Now Lily and Mandy were both looking at him, and Lily asked, "she was crying?" Sirius looked surprised, and said, "She was BAWLING last night, and she looked horrible, and she was about to collapse…" Sirius trailed off as he noticed his dear cousin Bellatrix looking over at the Gryffindor Table, smiling cruelly. There were very few things that would make her smile that particular smile, Lily thought, as she and Mandy followed Sirius' gaze- and one of those things would be something unfortunate happening to Kate. Lily was suddenly gripped with fear, and Mandy was already standing up, saying shakily, "We need to find her." Both girls ran like their lives depended on it, and Sirius and Remus were once again left to follow them.


End file.
